Arolat was born in Ankara in 1963. He received his BArch degree in Architecture in 1986 and MArch degree in 1992 at Istanbul Mimar Sinan University. He worked at Metcalf and Associates Architectural Office, Washington D.C. between 1986–1987. From 1987 to 2004, he worked at Arolat Architects as associate designer with Şaziment & Neşet Arolat. He founded his architecture practice in 2004 with Gonca Paşolar. The practice, EAA-Emre Arolat Architecture includes his parents Neşet Arolat and Şaziment Arolat as partners. EAA is a practice with a professional architectural staff with over 80 people in New York, Istanbul and London.
Awards
Arolat has received many national and international awards, including 2005 Mies van der Rohe award for European Architecture, 2006 AR Awards for Emerging Architecture, 2013 WAF Winner of Religious Buildings category with Sancaklar Mosque, 2014 WAF Winner of Shopping Category with Yalikavak Palmarina and Winner of Leisure-Led Category with Antakya Museum Hotel and in 2015 WAF Winner of Infrastructure Category with Cukurova Airport and Winner of Culture Category with Istanbul Antrepo 5 – MSGSU Painting and Sculpture Museum. He also received National Architecture Awards, in the category of “Design” and “Building” in 1992, 2002, 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2014. He has been awarded the Aga Khan Award for Architecture in 2010 with the Ipekyol Textile Factory Building. In 2015 Sancaklar Mosque was awarded ArchDaily's Best Building of the Year and Mies van der Rohe award for European Architecture-Best 40 Building of the Year, also nominated for Design Museum-Designs of the Year award In May 2015, The InternationalAcademy of Architecture has accorded Emre Arolat the title of Professor of the Academy in recognition of his achievements in the development of contemporary architecture.
Emre Arolat was one of two curators of 1.Istanbul Design Biennial in 2012. He curated “Musibet”, an exhibition focusing on the social and physical effects of the rapid transformation processes taking place in Istanbul. EAA curated exhibitions “Nazaran.../With regard to...” in 2006, “An/Moment” in 2012 and ”Fabrika/The Factory” in 2013. In 2015 Arolat curated EAA's exhibition, “ist-on situations” at RIBA, London.The exhibition explored through a timeline beginning with the mid-19th century that shows key events or turning points in the course of the urban stories of London and Istanbul. Through a dual city approach the practice reveals “situations” that unite and differentiate these two great cities at the east and west ends of Europe in their development. Along with the visual material and text focusing on the background of the urban situations, a selection of recent projects and those underway by EAA – Emre Arolat Architecture in Istanbul were showcased, as ‘agents’ of the current urban scene. The exhibition featured original drawings, models, photographs and films of EAA – Emre Arolat Architecture's projects.
Publication
EAA has also published a number of books. “Emre Arolat: Buildings / Projects 1998-2005” is the first monograph by Emre Arolat. It uses thirty projects to explore the studio's architectural approach. In the book “Dalaman Airport”, explores the experience of producing this large building. EAA was the editor of the books “Nazaran.../With regard to...” and ”Fabrika/The Factory” which was published along the exhibitions. In September 2013, Rizzoli NY published “EAA- Emre Arolat Architects: Context and Plurality”, a monograph edited by Philip Jodido and Suha Özkan, covering 34 projects of the office. It was the first Rizzoli book publication for a Turkish architect.
Books
EAA-Context And Plurality, Philip Jodidio-Suha Özkan, Rizzoli NY
